So You Wanna Get A Wii...

a quick break from actual gaming by Renzie Baluyut

I wouldn't blame you- the Nintendo Wii is a fine piece of gaming equipment. It should be great to have if you have the time to play it, and even more so if you're looking at getting the entire family involved.

Personally, I'm a PC gamer- have been one for as long as I can remember. Thanks to more free time these days, and spending more time with family, I'm seriously considering getting me a Wii.

Let's check out the Wii, shall we?

A Quick Look at the Nintendo Wii

As a seventh-generation console, the Nintendo Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

The Wii has consistently outsold both since its release. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.

The Wii is Nintendo's smallest home console to date; it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together. The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep. The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb),[65] which makes it the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically.

Wii's Virtual Console

The Wii comes with the Virtual Console, a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, which is really an online service that allows players to purchase and download games and other software for Nintendo's Wii gaming console.

The Virtual Console lineup consists of titles originally released on now defunct past consoles. These titles are run in their original forms through software emulation, and can be purchased for between 500 and 1200 Wii Points depending on system and rarity and/or demand.

The library of past games currently consists of titles originating from the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Nintendo 64, as well as Sega's Master System and Mega Drive/Genesis, NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and TurboGrafx-CD, SNK's Neo Geo AES, Commodore 64 (Europe only) and MSX (Japan only).

Over ten million Virtual Console titles have been downloaded as of December 2007.

Using Your Wii

Using the Wii is often seen as being more physically demanding than other game consoles. Some Wii players have occasionally experienced a form of tennis elbow referred to as "Wiiitis".

A study published in the British Medical Journal states that Wii players use more energy than playing sedentary computer games. It is however indicated that while this energy increase may be beneficial to weight management, it is not an adequate replacement for regular exercise.

A case study published in the American Physical Therapy Association’s journal Physical Therapy focused on use of the Wii for rehabilitation of a teen with cerebral palsy. It is believed to be the first published research showing the physical therapy benefits resulting from use of the gaming system. Researchers say the gaming system complements traditional techniques.

Information and pictures courtesy of Wikipedia.

Check out this blog's special on the Ten Top-rated Wii Games of All Time, as ranked by Gamespot.

Cheers, everyone!